When the heating season really heats up, air conditioning systems will fail, and repairs will be required. Many of these residential AC repairs are a simple fix; they are not expensive, and you will be back up and running in no time. Some repairs can take longer; they may cost more to repair, and it may not even be cost effective to repair the system. In this case, it may make better economic sense to replace the system entirely. Here are three of the most common residential AC repairs.
A Refrigerant Leak:
An air conditioner contains refrigerant; this acts a circulatory system removing heat from the home and moving it outside. All air conditioners are charged with refrigerant when they are installed in your home. If the refrigerant charge is poor or if there is a leak, the refrigerant in the system can fall below the required amount. This will lead to a loss in efficiency and cooling. The only way to correct this problem is to fix the leak and recharge the system with the appropriate amount of refrigerant. It may seem tempting to try this yourself, but a professional AC technician should carry this out. An ad hoc poor quality repair will not last long, refrigerant can be tricky to handle correctly, and the exact amount must be used to ensure that the manufacturer’s specifications are met.
- Condensate Drainage Issues:
During the cooling process and air conditioner produces a lot of condensation that is drained away from the equipment. If a clog of algae develops in the condensate drain lines or the drip pan, moisture can back up into the system. This can also happen if the outdoor humidity levels are very high. The excess condensation indoors, will increase the humidity levels and impair the air conditioner’s performance. This can also cause drips and pools of water on your floors, and it can damage key air conditioning components. An AC technician can inspect the condensate lines and clear any clogs.
- A Broken Compressor Fan:
The external part of your air conditioning system, contains the fan, condenser coils, and the compressor. These parts of the system, work to release the heat gathered in the home out into the air outside. If the compressor fan doesn’t work correctly, the heat transfer will not work effectively. The air conditioner will not cool the home adequately, and eventually, the broken fan could cause the compressor to overheat. If the compressor overheats, it could trigger the safety controls and the air conditioner will be automatically turned off. Any overheating can also cause significant damage to the compressor, which will need to be repaired or in extreme cases replaced entirely. This issue can be easily diagnosed by a professional AC specialist, the fan can be replaced and the compressor evaluated to assess if any damage has occurred.
Many of these issues can be detected early and corrected before they become a real problem. A regularly serviced AC system is less likely to fail when needed, and there will be no waiting for a technician during the busiest cooling periods of the year.